Biden proposes $2 trillion infrastructure plan Biden proposes $2 trillion infrastructure plan Pam / Wednesday, March 31, 2021 0 4453 Article rating: 1.0 President Joe Biden today released a proposal to spend $2 trillion on infrastructure projects over an 8-year period. Dubbed the American Jobs Plan, the broadly defined infrastructure concept is separated into four components: Transportation infrastructure and roadway safety, “How We Live” infrastructure, “Care” infrastructure, and Innovation infrastructure. "ATSSA applauds President Biden, Secretary [Pete] Buttigieg and the administration on ensuring that roadway safety is front and center in the American Jobs Plan,” ATSSA President & CEO Stacy Tetschner said. “Between increasing funding for roadway safety projects, a focus on pedestrian and bicyclist safety, encouraging and funding vision zero programs, and noting the emotional toll that roadway fatalities and serious injuries have on American families, this proposal will put us on a path of reducing fatalities toward zero in the decades to come. ATSSA looks forward to working with the Biden administration and Congress to make zero fatalities a reality through investments in roadway safety infrastructure.” Read more
Register now for ATSSA’s 2021 Legislative Briefing & Virtual Fly-In Register now for ATSSA’s 2021 Legislative Briefing & Virtual Fly-In Connect with Capitol Hill policymakers from a socially distant virtual platform Pam / Wednesday, March 10, 2021 0 4456 Article rating: No rating Take part in ATSSA’s 2021 Legislative Briefing & Virtual Fly-In from the comfort and safety of home. The April 21-22 event is free for members and will be completely online making access to Capitol Hill policymakers convenient and effective. Last year’s virtual event proved popular with ATSSA members and provided a great way to interact with legislators without the need for travel. Participants drove their message to Capitol Hill and enjoyed direct interactions with members of Congress and congressional staff involved in funding and policy decisions. ATSSA’s Legislative Briefing & Fly-In equips members to present key roadway safety infrastructure industry issues directly to political leaders and this year’s issues are key for the industry. The FAST Act, or Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, was a hot topic last year as ATSSA members advocated successfully for a one-year extension but a new deadline is looming. Read more
They’re baaaaaaaaaack – Earmarks that is They’re baaaaaaaaaack – Earmarks that is Pam / Friday, March 5, 2021 0 4484 Article rating: 4.5 Late last week, House Appropriations Committee Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) announced a process for bringing back congressional directed funding, also known as earmarks. Additionally, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) disseminated a “Dear Colleague” letter to members of Congress indicating his plan to include earmarks in the upcoming highway bill, which is expected to be part of a larger House infrastructure package. Earmarks are projects that receive some level of federal funding for state and local projects in congressional districts. They differ from competitive grant programs in that competitive grants are applied for and decided by staff at the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), whereas earmarks are advocated for by interested parties and members of Congress decide if they want to include them in a particular legislative vehicle. Because of an extremely bloated earmark process in the 2005 surface transportation bill, Congress opted to ban earmarks starting in 2011. Since then, there have been occasional rumors that they may return; however, DeLauro’s and DeFazio’s announcements mark the first time there has been this serious of an effort. Read more
Report estimates 2020 traffic fatalities highest in 13 years Report estimates 2020 traffic fatalities highest in 13 years National Safety Council releases preliminary data on motor vehicle crashes Pam / Thursday, March 4, 2021 0 4821 Article rating: No rating Fatal motor vehicle crashes in 2020 increased 8% over the previous year despite a drop in driving because of the pandemic, according to a report released this morning by the National Safety Council (NSC). Preliminary data suggests 42,060 people died and 4.8 million were seriously injured in crashes in 2020, according to the report. The rate of death from that data shows a 24% rise over the previous year though motorists traveled 13% fewer miles. That accounted for the biggest year-over-year increase in 96 years, the report noted. “It is tragic that in the U.S., we took cars off the roads and didn’t reap any safety benefits,” Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of NSC, said in the release. “These data expose our lack of an effective roadway safety culture. It is past time to address roadway safety holistically and effectively, and NSC stands ready to assist all stakeholders, including the federal government.” Read more
National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction event set for May National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction event set for May Prepare now with OSHA resources for employers offered in multiple languages Pam / Wednesday, March 3, 2021 0 3467 Article rating: No rating Start preparing now for the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) eighth annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction scheduled for May 3-7. All industries engaged in construction work are encouraged to take part to raise awareness of the hazards and provide training for their personnel. OSHA is offering resources for employers at a webpage dedicated to the National Safety Stand-Down. Read more
18Aug2022 ATSSA supports Bhatt’s nomination for FHWA administrator Thursday, August 18, 2022 Read more
9Aug2022 Senate passes Inflation Reduction Act; House could vote this week Tuesday, August 9, 2022 Read more